Never Told: Year 1
by crimsonapathy
Summary: Lily, James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter's first year at Hogwarts. AU, very few facts will be used that are introduced in HBP. Enjoy, please review.
1. Acceptance Letters

**Disclaimer:** All characters, ideas, and objects in this story that are mentioned in J.K. Rowling's books belong to her. The rest of them belong to me.

**A/N:** This is the first fanfiction I have ever written. I would appreciate it if you could review this story, it would be a lot of help. Thanks and enjoy!  
I've edited a bit of this first chapter.

**Rating:** This story is rated PG-13 just to be safe, as I don't know what's going to be coming up later on in the story.

**Chapter Summary:** Lily, James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter all get their Hogwarts acceptance letters. As they realize that they're going to Hogwarts, they're all happy but have slightly different reactions to the news. A/N: Sorry, I'm not great at summaries.

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**Chapter One  
****Acceptance Letters**

"Lily! Wake up!" Lily groaned and woke up to the sound of her mother's joyful voice ringing throughout the house. "Come on! We have to go to Drygon Alley today to get your supplies for Hogwarts!"

Lily sat up, rubbing her tired eyes. "_Diagon_ Alley, mum," she yawned as her mom entered her room, her face glowing. Leanne pulled Lily into a bone-crushing hug and exclaimed, "Oh, I still can't believe it! A witch in the family! This is amazing!"

"Yeah, amazing, we have a freak in the family!" a voice sneered from the door. Lily turned around to face her sister Petunia, who was glowing as well, but with anger and jealousy. "Now she'll be coming back and changing us all into frogs, and frightening away all my friends!" She looked smugly at her sister's crestfallen face as she turned and stomped down the stairs.

"Lily, don't listen to her," Leanne said frantically as she saw eyes brimming with tears. "Your father and I love both of you, but there's nothing we can do if she can't accept that you're a witch. I'm sure she'll adjust eventually." Looking slightly frazzled, she changed the subject. "Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes Lily, so get down as soon as you can."

Once her mother had left the room, Lily buried her face into her pillow, choking back sobs. She wouldn't let anyone see the full effect of how Petunia's behavior was affecting her, but inside it was tearing her apart. She and Petunia had been the closest of friends until last week, three days after her eleventh birthday, when the owl had arrived. It was a most peculiar event, as neither she nor Petunia had ever seen an owl before. What had intrigued them the most was the envelope that the owl had been grasping in its claws…

_"Oh, Lily! Look!" Petunia yelled. "It's holding something!" Lily ran forward and retrieved the letter from the owl, who hooted in thanks and departed, after Lily ruffled its feathers. Her interest was most certainly sparked now, but she tore her thoughts away from the owl and to the envelope that she was clutching in her hands. _

_"Look! It's for me!" Lily cried delightedly. "Miss Lily Azalea Evans!" She examined the address written in bright emerald green ink and turned it over. The envelope was sealed by what seemed to be a sticker of some sort, in the form of a crest. "I wonder what the 'H' stands for," she mused. Lily briefly noting the animals on the crest, and after what seemed like an eternity, she tore the envelope open._

_"Dear Miss Evans…we are pleased to announce that you have been accepted to __Hogwarts__School__ of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" Lily read out loud, with a glow of radiance around her face that Petunia had never seen before. Petunia ran to the window, searching the skies. "I wonder when mine's coming!" she nearly shouted, a look of eagerness on her face. _

_Lily didn't hear; she was still in her own world. "I'm a witch…I really am!" she muttered in disbelief and ran down to the living room where her parents were. "Mum! Dad!" she shrieked. "Guess what!" Leanne and Josh glanced at each other, smiling, then turned to their daughter. "What, honey?" her father asked kindly. "I'm a witch! I'm a witch!" Lily squealed, shoving the Hogwarts letter into her mother's hands. She watched as her parents' eyes slowly got wider and wider, then when they looked up she had a triumphant look on her face. "I can't wait to go!" she yelled, jumping into her father's arms._

_"Oh my god, Josh…we have a witch in the family!" Leanne said quietly, still in shock. _

_"Yeah, yeah, we have a witch, that's just so great," a voice snarled from the doorway. Petunia had waited for a while, but when she was convinced that she would not receive a letter from this magical school, had felt a sudden surge of jealousy towards her younger sister for the first time in her life._

_"Why does she get to be a witch, but not me?" Petunia complained, scowling at her sister Lily. It somehow made her feel good to see her sister's face drop. _

_"Petunia, honey, we don't even know if this is real or not," Leanne soothed. Lily hadn't thought of this; the warmth that had filled her so rapidly was slowly edging away._

_Suddenly there was a loud crack, and Petunia screamed. Leanne and Josh stared at the man in front of them. He had a decently long beard and graying hair, which was already strange enough of a sight to the Evans family. But he was wearing billowing black robes as well, over what appeared to be a bad attempt at a normal suit._

_"Hello, hello, I'm Albus Dumbledore," the man said, holding out his hand._

_Leanne and Josh were still in shock, so Lily shook his hand timorously. _

_"Er...not to be rude, sir, but who are you exactly?" _

_"Oh, sorry, I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself properly. I'm Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."_

_Leanne finally found her voice. "So the school's real then?"_

_"Yes, I assure you, quite real. And wizards and witches are real too, but I would quite appreciate it if you didn't go spreading that around. I can modify peoples' memory, but I wouldn't want to waste too much time on doing things like that. We don't like spreading word that us magical people still exist, you see," Albus Dumbledore explained._

_"Wait, how do we know that you're a...a wizard?" Josh asked faintly. He seemed to be having trouble processing what Dumbledore had just said._

_To all their surprise, Albus Dumbledore laughed. "Very well, very well. At least one of you seems to have their defenses up. If you really don't believe me, explain why I appeared in the middle of your living room with a crack. But anyhow, I'll show you some magic."_

_Lily's eyes brightened, as did Petunia's. Albus Dumbledore took out a wooden stick. Lily wondered if it was a wand; she had always imagined wands to be much more...fancy. He waved it, muttering some words, and a bird appeared out of nowhere. _

_"Do you believe now?" Dumbledore asked._

_Josh and Leanne nodded meekly. Albus Dumbledore smiled._

_"Well then, term starts September 1st. Do try not to miss the train, here's your ticket. Oh, and Miss Evans, you'll find information you need on the back of your Hogwarts letter. It's special for Muggles, or should I say, previously non-magical people."_

_Lily thanked him happily, and the strange-looking man named Albus Dumbledore disappeared with another crack. Leanne and Josh had finally gotten out of their shock, and gave her huge hugs._

_Petunia stared at Lily, thoughts running through her head at blazing speed._

_"What's so special about being a witch?" she sneered. "Personally, I think you're a freak." _

_With that, she ran out of the room, barely noticing her sister's eyes brimming with tears._

"Why, Petunia, why?" Lily muttered into her tear-soaked pillow. "Why do you have to hate me for being something, especially when I have no control over it?" She slowly got out of her bed and got dressed, still talking to herself. "I don't even know if I want to be a witch…what if everyone at the school hates me?" With these thoughts haunting her head, she crept downstairs and ate breakfast silently, with her head down, while Petunia continued to jeer at her.

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"Hey, kiddo, come away from your window for a while will you?" Chris Potter pleaded helplessly to his son, James, who had been determinedly sitting by his window for the past three hours. James stuck his chin out. "No."

Chris sighed. "James, I know that you're excited for your Hogwarts letter and that you're expecting it to come today, but _please_, you're just a small child. You have to eat." One look at the child and Chris knew that it was useless. James had inherited many of his mother's qualities, but as Chris ruffled his son's hair he smiled, secretly delighted that James looked so much like him.

"I'm not small," James pouted, jerking Chris out of his thoughts. "Mike got his acceptance letter to Beauxbatons yesterday, and I'm not leaving this spot until I receive mine to Hogwarts," he whined. Chris shook his head, knowing that this act was also part of his son's attempt to hide any disappointment about the fact that he would be separated from his closest childhood friend this year.

"Mike Delacour will be going to a different school than you, James, and it's time for you to accept that. I'm sure that you'll make a lot of other friends at Hogwarts," Chris soothed. James rolled his eyes. "Obviously, dad. I'm the most popular guy wherever I go," he stated matter-of-factly. Chris wasn't sure whether to laugh or not; the expression on his son's face was unusually serious.

James had gone back to staring out his window, gazing into the expanse of space hopefully. Chris quietly left the room, giving up on trying to get James to eat, praying that the Hogwarts acceptance letter would arrive quickly.

A disgruntled-looking Chris entered the kitchen where a beautiful woman named Brianna stood. When she saw him, she chuckled. "No luck with James?" she inquired. Chris shook his head. "No. But then again, what else did we expect? I just hope once he gets over Mike, he'll turn back into that egotistical little prankster than he is."

Brianna laughed. "Yeah, and then you'll be wishing that he would be back like he is now," she declared. Chris laughed along, knowing that this was more likely true than not. Then a small hurricane by the name of James Chris Potter barged into the kitchen.

"I got my letter! I got my letter!" James exclaimed excitedly. "I wanted to show you before I opened it! Let's open it together!" That being said, James jumped onto Chris, leaving him no choice but to bring Harry to the couch and go over the contents of the letter with him. James was still jumpy as ever. "Look daddy! Look! It says Mr. James Chris Potter!" He pointed to the address, written in brilliant emerald green ink, on the front of the envelope. Calming down a little, he commented, "That ink looks cool," putting on his most dignified air. Chris rolled his eyes, but placed James on his lap and took the envelope from him. Turning it over, he saw the Hogwarts crest.

"What's that?" James demanded. "Tell me." Chris began explaining to James about the houses, their symbols, and their colors; even though he knew that he must have done this about twenty times before. His explanation, which he had intended to be brief, ended up being much longer before James was satisfied. "Dad, you were in Gryffindor, right?"

Chris closed his eyes before replying. He hated house discrimination, yet somehow he had a feeling in his gut that his son was going to end up being one of the biggest discriminators that Hogwarts would ever see, apart from the Slytherins. "Yes, son, I was in Gryffindor. Your mother was in Ravenclaw."

"Then I want to be in one of those houses—Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff is alright too, right?" James asked, but in a manner that suggested he was stating a fact. Chris sighed. "James, Slytherins are not all bad people," he tried to explain. "Some of them are bad, and they have decided to be horrible to others that are not in their house. But I do not want you to sink down to their level, James. Ignore them, and be nice to those who are not bad. Please, James, listen to me just this once." James nodded absentmindedly, and Chris knew that his words had not really sunken in. "Oh well, not for lack of trying," he muttered to himself before leaving Harry alone to pore over the supplies list that was enclosed in his Hogwarts acceptance letter.

That night, before tucking Harry in for a good night's sleep, Chris sat down to talk to James. "James, I know you heard what I said earlier about Slytherins. Promise me that you'll keep in mind what I just said and please, please don't discriminate against the other houses unless you have a legitimate reason." James looked at his father, knowing that his father only wanted him to be happy and safe, but realizing that his father was nothing like him. However, he didn't want to disappoint his father, so in a sincere voice he replied, "Of course, dad. I won't discriminate against the other houses one bit, you can trust that." Chris smiled and left the room, calling back over his shoulder, "Oh yeah, James, we'll be going to Diagon Alley tomorrow to pick up your supplies for school." When Chris was gone, James felt slightly guilty but quickly shook the feeling away. He only planned on bending his promise slightly, anyways.

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Remus had just spent a horrible night in the bolted shack in his backyard. His mother, Joanna, was a witch, and had charmed it to try to keep him and the neighbors as safe as possible. Still, while the charm managed to stop the most potentially lethal things that could happen to him, he was still able to claw at himself and the night before he had nearly torn himself up physically. There were gashes all over his chest, and dried blood on his body. He quickly got up and showered, tired and exhausted.

He arrived downstairs for a late breakfast and found his father in the kitchen. "Hey, Remus. Had a rough time in the shack last night?" Jason asked sympathetically, seeing the gashes on his son's face. "You bet," Remus muttered in reply, not wishing to relive the horrible nights he had to spend in that godforsaken shack in his backyard.

Jason had a hard time controlling himself to not just rush over to Remus and pull him into a tight embrace. He could not imagine what the child had gone through in the past six years, transforming once a month, and chided himself for not being able to really sympathize with the young man his son was growing up to be. "Here, drink some of this," Jason said kindly, pushing a mug of tea towards Remus. "It's your favorite kind, and I'm sure that your mom laced some restorative draught into it. So it should help."

Remus nodded gratefully at his father and expressed his thanks; then sat down and began to sip his tea. He appreciated his father's concern for him, especially since his father had not known about his mother being a witch until after he had gotten the bite that dreadful night when he was five. His father had adjusted rather quickly and for that he would always be in debt. When other kids had shunned him at school, he had always had his parents to turn to, and they always found some way to make him feel better. They had been forced to move a decent amount of times and Remus had switched schools more times than he could count, but he was happy that at least his parents would stick up for him.

After finishing his mug of tea, Remus looked and felt considerably better and was ready for the rest of the day, even though he knew that his days after the full moon were always uneventful. "What time is it, dad?" he asked. Jason glanced at his watch and replied, "Nearly one." Remus expressed his surprise with a small scream and demanded, "Was it that bad?"

"I'm not sure, Remus, because your mother was the one who took you out of the shack this morning and put you into bed. But, from the grave look on her face when she left the house this morning, I would say yes." Jason sighed. Remus went through a lot more pain that most adults he knew.

Remus stared at the table miserably. "A bunch of kids from school know, and it doesn't matter that school's out," he said quietly. "If it gets as bad as the last school, we might have to move again. Our house won't stand many more rock attacks, now, will it?" Remus said wryly, and then sighed. "I'm sorry, dad. I wish that I hadn't been so careless when I was younger. Then this would have never happened and then I wouldn't cause you and mum so much trouble."

"Oh no," Jason thought. "He's blaming himself again." Jason walked over to Remus and bent down until his eyes were level with his son's. "Remus. Look at me." Jason commanded. Remus half-heartedly looked up into his father's eyes. "It's true that you were careless when you were younger, but don't ever think of yourself badly. Your mother and I don't blame you for anything that had happened, and we will keep trying until we find a place for you where you will be accepted, or where no one will know what you are so they cannot tease you."

As if reading his mind, an owl swept through the window and landed in front of Remus. Remus looked curiously at the owl for a moment, then relieved it of its burden. "Mr. Remus Hallac Lupin," Remus read out loud. His father was staring, stunned, at the splendid emerald green ink. "If that's what I think it is…" he started. Then he grabbed the envelope and flipped it over. He saw the crest and his voice became faint. "Remus…I think I know what this is. Your mother has explained to me about this crest before. Remus…oh my god Remus…you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Remus looked thoroughly confused for a moment, then exclaimed, "Oh! That's the school that mum talks about a lot! Didn't she go there?" Jason chuckled. "No, Remus, she did not attend Hogwarts. She was accepted into Beauxbatons instead, but her school visited Hogwarts once and she found the visit amazing, and since has had a love for the school. I think you shall be under one of, quoting your mother, the best headmasters that the entire wizarding world has ever seen." Remus was intrigued and opened the letter carefully. He pulled out a letter and skimmed through it. By the time he was done, he had a glow of hope around him that his father had not seen in a very long time. The realization that he had been accepted to one of the most wonderful wizarding schools in existence had finally sunken in.

"Father! Father! Oh, this is amazing! The headmaster—according to this letter, Professor Albus Dumbledore—" Remus began. ("So that's what his name is," thought Jason.) "Albus Dumbledore has arranged so that I can attend the school even with my condition! This is great! This might be it, dad!" Remus had a huge smile on his face, and it hit Jason that this was the first time that his son had smiled a genuinely happy smile for a very, very long time.

"Well, son, if you're so excited to go, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to," Jason said to the jumpy and excited boy who was standing in front of him. "However, we should consult your mother first before we make any final decisions." Remus agreed, but that didn't stop him from spending the rest of the day at home in high spirits. When his mother finally arrived home, Remus jumped into her arms.

"Guess what mum! Guess what! I got accepted to Hogwarts!" he shouted, overjoyed. Joanna looked slightly shocked for a second then quickly recovered. "You can explain that to me in a second, but first tell me, how are you feeling?" she said in a stern but concerned voice. Jason laughed. "Joanna, you don't understand how happy he's been all day. I could swear someone gave him an overdose of those…what do you call them? Happy charms?"

"Cheering charms," Joanna corrected, then looked over at Remus. "So, you got accepted to Hogwarts?" she inquired. When Remus nodded, she smiled. "I was hoping that you would get accepted to either Hogwarts or Beauxbatons, but didn't express my hopes in case. But I am very glad that you have been accepted into Hogwarts, because I have talked to Albus Dumbledore a few times, and he is quite a gentleman. I think you will find yourself happy at Hogwarts and I am sure that Professor Dumbledore will take good care of you. Of course, you can go!" she gently assured Remus, who had been looking at her with a look of hope in his eyes.

"YES!" Remus jumped up, his voice ringing throughout the house. Joanna and Jason laughed, happy inside, as they had never seen Remus this happy since the werewolf bite. As Remus ran up to his bedroom, Joanna called out, "Remus, don't oversleep tomorrow. We're going to take a trip to Diagon Alley to get your supplies!"

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"Sirius! Get your lazy ass down here, child," a sharp voice snapped from the bottom of the stairs. "We have guests," the voice added, snarling. "So put on something nice." Sirius rolled his eyes and did everything that he could to not explode in his mother's face. "Yeah, yeah mum, I'm coming. No need to change, I always look nice anyway," Sirius retorted. He hadn't been able to help adding the last comment. It was a mistake, as no more than ten seconds later, his mother came barging into his room, casting a privacy charm.

"Don't you ever talk like that again, boy!" she shrieked. "You're not the perfect little boy you think you are!" Sirius smirked. "More perfect than you'll ever be," he said absentmindedly. Sirius's mother raised her voice even higher. "You _disgrace_ of a Black!" she cried, wringing her hands. "Why couldn't you be more like Regulus? Oh, that sweet, loving child! What happened to you?" She pointed a finger at Sirius threateningly, as though to blame him for all her troubles. "Oh, you're not going to get into Durmstrang, are you," she sneered softly. "Too soft-hearted for that. Oh well, too late to change that. But I assure you, boy," –she raised her voice– "That when you go to Hogwarts and get sorted, you had better get into Slytherin, or you might just live the rest of your life regretting it," she finished dangerously.

"Melina! Come down! We're all waiting for you!" A voice rang from downstairs. Melina turned to Sirius a last time. "Remember, Sirius…if you're not in Slytherin, don't expect anything from us," she spat. "Wasn't going to," Sirius mumbled, watching his mother's retreating figure. Once she was gone, he sat back down on his bed, fighting back tears which he had longed to cry for ages.

"Don't cry, Sirius, don't cry," he scolded himself. Sure, at school, he was an egocentric person; loud and always walking around with a lot of confidence. However, at home, it was a different matter. He was the scapegoat of the family and was always being blamed for everything. It was true that he was different than most of the Blacks, and didn't share their evil view on most things. However, he dreaded what would happen to him if he didn't get into Slytherin.

He crept downstairs to the living room quietly after he felt he was ready to face his family again. To his surprise, the room was filled with relatives, so his arrival went unnoticed, something which Sirius was grateful for. He scanned the occupants of the room and his face lit up when he saw his cousin Andromeda. He ran over and greeted her. "Hey Andromeda, what are you doing here?" Sirius asked. He had assumed that the 'guests' that his family had over were for another one of their talks about how being pure-blooded was the most important thing; Andromeda and her family, being 'blood traitors' because they didn't accept the ideas about purification, were never included in these talks.

"Oh Sirius, when will you ever learn?" laughed Andromeda, who was to be entering her fourth year at Hogwarts. "It's your brother's birthday, and apparently, your parents wanted a 'large, gorgeous birthday party', so they invited pretty much everyone." Sirius groaned. "Oh, no," he moaned. "Regulus's birthday. Perfect Regulus."

Andromeda giggled. "I know you don't like him, Sirius, and personally, neither do I, but I think you should put up a good show for your parents before they reject you from the family forever, because you won't be in Slytherin. I bet you're a Gryffindor." Sirius glared at her. "Thanks for the reminder," he mumbled angrily. Then he looked up. "You're in Gryffindor, right?" Andromeda nodded, which improved Sirius's mood incredibly. "Well, at least I'll have someone to look forward to seeing," he noted happily as an owl flew his way.

"Oooh! Take it Sirius! It's your Hogwarts letter!" Andromeda squealed excitedly, referring to the envelope that the owl was holding. Sirius took the envelope, thanked the owl, and retreated to a corner of the room with Andromeda. "Mr. Sirius Romulus Black," Sirius read out loud, admiring the way the emerald green ink shone on the envelope. He turned it over and observed the Hogwarts crest for a moment, but Andromeda excitedly nagged him to quickly open the envelope. "Open it, Sirius!" Sirius rolled his eyes, knowing that his favorite cousin was probably even more enthusiastic about this letter than he was. "Okay, okay, I'll open it," Sirius said. "Just wait after I—" Sirius began to tease, but was cut off by Andromeda. "I'll open it for you!" she said indignantly. Sirius backed down. "Sorry, beautiful lady," he smirked. Andromeda shook her head laughing. "Your 'charm' doesn't work on me, Sirius, but nice try," she remarked. "You'll get all the ladies at Hogwarts, though."

Andromeda tore open the envelope and shoved the letter into Sirius's hands. "Come on, just read it!" she urged. Sirius finally agreed and read the letter. When he was done, he only said one thing. "Ah. Dumbledore," he said darkly, looking at his parents. Andromeda looked confused. "Dumbledore's a great man," she stated. Sirius nodded. "I'm sure he is, but my parents keep talking about him like he's pond scum or something. Never a day has passed since a few months ago when I haven't heard something like, 'Dumbledore was the worst person to ever be put in headmaster's position', or 'Dumbledore as headmaster, what is this world coming to?' or anything similar to that." Andromeda nodded in understanding, but reassured her younger cousin that Dumbledore was quite a brilliant and amazing man.

"Well, look what we have here," a voice sneered. Sirius and Andromeda looked up to see a young blonde-haired boy, around Sirius's age, looking at them with a look of contempt on his face. "Malfoy," Sirius acknowledged coldly. "What do you want, Lucius?" asked Andromeda. Lucius smirked and ignored Andromeda. "So, Black," Lucius spat. "You've been accepted into Hogwarts?" Sirius nodded stonily. Lucius snickered. "Well, you better not be getting into Slytherin, because that's where Narcissa and I will be," he stated, motioning to a pretty young girl across the room, who had an expression of disgust plastered on her face. "Well, if you're going to be in that house, I sure hope I'm not in it," Sirius stated wryly. "What about my dear cousin Bellatrix?" Lucius scowled at this last question. "Durmstrang," he said, and shut his mouth, walking away.

Andromeda turned to Sirius half-laughing. "Well, Sirius, looks like you hit a nerve." Sirius laughed as well. "We all know that he has a soft spot for dear Bella," he remarked. Suddenly a high-pitched scream from the kitchen caused Andromeda to jump. Sirius rolled his eyes. "There goes my mother again, beheading house-elves. We already have quite a large collection," he remarked, motioning to the wall in an adjacent room. "Watch," he said, pointing to the wall. Before their eyes, another plaque was added to the wall, with the head of another house-elf on it. Sirius sighed in frustration. "Still not Kreacher," he said, shaking his head sadly.

At this moment two red-headed young children ran up to Andromeda and Sirius. "Hi, Molly," Sirius said, greeting the young, feisty child in front of him. She was around five years old, and as jumpy as any youngster could get. Then he turned to the young boy. "Arthur, how are you doing?" Sirius grinned at the little six-year-old kid who had been fascinated with Muggle items since last year. The young redhead had an air of cockiness around him at the moment, and Sirius assumed that he had just explained to his younger friend about some Muggle contraption or another. "I was just telling Molly about these pluggie things," he said proudly, stretching out his hand to show a jumble of wire ending with electrical plugs. "Fascinating," said Sirius, not quite sure what he was looking at. Andromeda examined the plug with interest then gave it back to the over-enthusiastic child. She smiled, watching the two young children run back off into the ever-increasing crowd of people.

"Hey, Sirius. Why don't you come to Diagon Alley with my family and me tomorrow?" Andromeda suggested. "I have to go to get my stuff for fourth year, and you have to get your stuff for first year. Sirius brightened considerably and agreed. "Sure I'll come," he said. "But how am I supposed to find you guys?" Andromeda laughed. "Just sleep over tonight, I'm sure my parents will let you," she replied. Sirius thought about it for a moment, and agreed, thinking that this would be a great way to avoid his parents' wrath because he hadn't gotten Regulus a present.

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A young boy, who oddly resembled a small, scrawny rat, opened his eyes groggily. "Oh man, I woke up early again," he muttered, noting that it was still very dark in his room. Five minutes later, a chuckling mother came into his room and opened the blinds. "Get up, sleepyhead," she said, nudging the boy softly. Young Peter groaned. The eleven-year-old boy had never quite adjusted to the fact that blinds had been installed into his bedroom a couple of months ago, and since had never gotten up early on his own. "Now, Peter, when you get downstairs I want you to cook breakfast," his mother said kindly to him. Although Peter was half-blooded, his father being a wizard and his mother a Muggle, his household ran like a normal Muggle's. His mother had no trouble accepting the fact that her husband was a wizard, but under no circumstances would that affect the way that she ran their household, she argued. Finally, Peter and his father, Brian, gave in, sensing that it was probably safer and more peaceful for them to agree with her than to disagree.

Peter's father had been born in the U.S., and had met his current wife when he had taken a business trip over to London over a decade ago. They loved their child dearly, although his high-pitched voice did get irritating over a long period of time. Brian often hoped that his son would get into Hogwarts, as he had heard wonderful things about the school, even in America. Selena _did_ want her son to get the best education possible, but it had taken a lot of persuading to convince her that going to a wizarding school would be good for little Peter. However, they had made a pact to not inform Peter about this, in case he didn't get accepted to the school.

Peter got dressed, finished his morning routine, and went downstairs to cook breakfast. He was nearly done cooking pancakes when an owl flew in through a window and nearly knocked him over, stove in hand. Clumsily, Peter snatched the letter from the owl while trying to not fall over. The owl looked reproachfully at the boy, and Peter could swear that it was laughing at him when it flew away. Peter put the letter aside and finished making the pancakes. By the time he was done, he had forgotten about the letter.

He called his parents into the kitchen to announce that their breakfast was ready, and then served the food to them both. The three of them ate a relatively quiet but peaceful breakfast, as usual, when suddenly Selena interrupted. "Peter, what was that commotion in the kitchen earlier? I thought I heard an owl." Peter sat deep in thought for a moment, then clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Oh!" Peter all but squeaked, running into the kitchen to retrieve the letter. He showed it to his parents. "There was an owl, and it gave me this." Brian looked carefully at the envelope, observing the seal before turning the envelope over. "Mr. Peter Benjamin Pettigrew."

Peter stared at his name written in brilliant emerald green ink. "What is it?" he asked nervously. Brian turned to Peter with a huge smile on his face. "I think I know, Peter. You see this crest?" he asked, gesturing to the Hogwarts crest that was sealing the envelope. Peter shook his head, looking confused. Brian took a deep breath and continued. "Well, son, this is the Hogwarts crest. I've seen it before. I think this is your acceptance letter to Hogwarts, if I'm not mistaken."

Brian looked at Peter, his face glowing with pride. He pulled Peter into a tight hug, and was nearly in tears. "I'm so proud of you, son." Selena, although she was a Muggle who didn't completely understand what Hogwarts was, declared that a celebration should take place, and within ten minutes the three of them were eating cake, and a sign had been hung up in the kitchen that said in large letters, "CONGRATULATIONS PETER!"

"Wow," Peter said quietly later that day. He had always hoped that he could get into Hogwarts, but he had never thought that he had the potential to attend the school. At all the schools he ever attended, he had always been the one who was picked on. All the kids made fun of him because of his rat-like appearance and the way he squeaked like one as well. "Well, this could be different," he said to himself.

Brian found Peter in his bedroom, ready to go to sleep, and once again looked at Peter with pride in his eyes. He didn't want to show it, but his hopes that his son would get into such a good wizarding school hadn't been high. He knew what Peter went through at school and he also knew that Peter wasn't in the extremely intelligent mold. Not only that, but Peter had always acted more like his mother, who was a Muggle. Brian hadn't been sure if Peter even had any magic in him. He hoped that Hogwarts would help Peter feel like he belonged.

"Peter, we want you to adjust to being a wizard," Selena said, entering the room. "We're going to order your books, robes, and supplies from the Daily Inquirer," Selena said, before she was interrupted by her husband. "Daily Prophet," he corrected. "We know how you are around other people and we don't want you suddenly surrounded by many wizards. It may seem rather intimidating at first. You can go over your books at home, alright?" Brian said kindly. Peter nodded his head, still slightly in shock that he _was_ a wizard after all.

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**Well, that's the end of the first chapter. Thank you so much for reading this. I had a good time writing this, and it has inspired me to possibly write other stories as well, not necessarily under the category of Harry Potter Fanfiction. Please review! I would appreciate it a lot.**

**_Coming soon: _**_Lily, James, Remus, and Sirius all journey to Diagon Alley to get their supplies, books, robes, pets, and, especially in James and Sirius's case, other things as well. Let's see what happens!_


	2. Diagon Alley

**Disclaimer:** Please refer to the disclaimer on the first chapter of this story. Thank you.

**Chapter Summary:** Now that Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus have all been accepted into Hogwarts, their first stop is to Diagon Alley to get their supplies for their first year! They all meet each other and some other people as well. For a first encounter, things seem to be going quite well.

**A/N:** The last chapter was a lot of fun to write, and I hope that I will enjoy writing this chapter just as much. Seeing as this is my first fanfic and because I've never really done much writing before at all, I sometimes get stuck thinking of ideas here and there. So it might take a while to get some chapters up; sometimes I just need a break to think of ideas.

**PLEASE NOTE:** I don't have the Harry Potter books in my possession, at least not all of them. So please excuse me if I get some facts wrong here and there; I don't have much to check them with.

**Please review! Don't flame please, but constructive criticism is welcome. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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**Chapter 2  
Diagon Alley**

Lily proceeded away the Underground with her family, her nose buried in her Hogwarts letter. Albus Dumbledore had told her that everything she needed to know was on the back of her letter, so why was there nothing there? Was this really a joke after all?

She was rereading her letter. She had never really read past the first paragraph, and thought perhaps that there was something in the latter paragraphs that had some importance.

"If you tap your wand on the back of this parchment and say, 'Specialis Revelio', then a map will appear to guide you to Diagon Alley. We have given you these instructions because you are a Muggle," Lily read out loud. She did as the letter instructed, and was fascinated to find a map with one moving dot, printing instructions for her to follow.

Petunia snorted. "What did you just say? _Muggle?_ Again? I knew that your kind must be touched in the head," she said, sneering. Lily forced herself to ignore her sister's jeer, and concentrated on the instructions that had appeared on the letter after she had finished reading it. In her opinion, the wizarding world worked wonders. Leanne and Josh looked at Lily meaningfully, almost as though begging forgiveness. They had admonished Petunia many times, but their warnings had been returned by a glare. Not only that, but whenever anyone talked about anything magical, Petunia acted as though she had been slapped. The lively young girl who had been in love with fairy tales, with magical godmothers and evil witches, was no more.

"Turn left…five paces…" Lily muttered to herself, following the dot that was herself on the page. The map still amazed her, even though she had known of its existence for days now. She couldn't stop thinking about how wonderful magic was, even though she was trying her hardest to appear as though everything was normal. Petunia did not seem as keen to adjust, Lily noted as Petunia walked up beside her with a look of disgust on her face. She peered over at the map, not in interest but to see exactly what her younger sister was doing, or so she told herself. "Why are you reading The Three Little Trolls by Neligh Avrams when we're supposed to be looking for some alley?" Petunia spat in frustration. Lily looked up in shock, but when she saw her parents also shooting her quizzical looks, it suddenly dawned upon her that the piece of parchment that she was holding could only be viewed by the magical sort, and not by non-magical people; Muggles.

Normally, Lily would have smiled mysteriously at her older sister, but she didn't feel like this was an appropriate time to joke around with Petunia. She didn't want to spill the secret, however, so she just shushed her sister and continued to follow the map intently. When she reached the spot that was marked with an 'x' on the map, she stopped and looked around, circumspect. "What are you doing?" Petunia hissed, failing to hide the interest in her voice. Lily looked at Petunia for the first time ever since they had left home, and when her eyes met Petunia's, she simply stared. Petunia faltered, and Lily looked back at the map. If this was how Petunia was going to be, Lily had decided that she didn't want to show how much it was getting to her.

Suddenly, she noticed a pub between two buildings on the street. Lily gasped; she had been on this street before and could have sworn that she had never seen it before. Her parents looked carefully at the parchment that Lily was holding, then at where she was staring, and tentatively looked around. Lily was astonished as her mom jumped back in surprise, seeing the pub. "Maybe it's because they're family," Lily thought. Her thoughts were interrupted when her dad saw the pub. "Odd," he muttered as he realized that no one else seemed to be able to see the pub. Lily's mother shifted uncomfortably.

"Come on," Lily whispered, breaking the awkward silence. She and her family carefully approached the pub. When Lily was sure no one was looking at them or the pub, she examined the entrance. 'The Leaky Cauldron' stood out above the door in gold letters. Before Petunia could ask why the letters were shimmering, Lily took her moms hand, perhaps more firmly than usual, and quickly but quietly opened the door to the pub and dragged her mom in. Petunia and her dad had no choice but to follow.

The Leaky Cauldron was filled with the strangest sight Lily had ever seen. She had the knowledge that she was a witch, but it had never really hit her until now. "Daddy, is that a _leprechaun?_" Petunia squealed, temporarily forgetting to look disgruntled as she pointed to a rather short figure on a barstool, clothed in green garments. Lily looked around in awe at the witches and wizards dressed in robes of wonderful colors—like emerald green, the color of her eyes, and a deep shade of purple, the color of royalty and Petunia's favorite.

A wizard appeared out of nowhere in front of them with a _crack!_ causing Leanne to scream in fright and jump back. Lily, Petunia and Josh had also jumped, and the majority of the people in the pub looked around the room to see what the commotion was about. A gentle-looking witch, dressed in navy blue robes, rolled her eyes. "Don't you know better than to Apparate _right in the middle of the pub?_" She walked over and looked at the Evans family. Lily stared at the witch uncomfortably, although her interest was sparked, and there was an awkward silence until the witch inquired, "Well, which one of you is a witch?"

"M-me," Lily said in a small voice. She was rather intimidated by the magical world at the moment, especially of those wizards and witches older than her. Who knew what they could do to her if provoked? She had only had a brief encounter with Albus Dumbledore. The witch smiled at Lily. "Dear, are you starting your first year at Hogwarts?" Lily nodded. "What's 'Apparate'?" she asked uncertainly, hearing the sound of the new word coming from her lips. The witch smiled. "Apparition is when a wizard can use magic to quickly go from one place to another," she said. "It's rather hard to explain, but it's advanced magic, so you won't be learning it anytime soon." Lily eagerly absorbed this information.

"I assume you want to get to Diagon Alley for your books?" the witch asked. Lily nodded, and feeling like she should introduce herself, said, "By the way, my name is Lily Evans. This is my sister, Petunia,"—Petunia scowled—"and my mum, Leanne. This is my dad, Josh." Lily gestured at each of them in turn. The witch nodded in approval. "Nice to meet you," she said. "You seem to have a wonderful daughter. I'm Sofia. Sofia Adler. Come this way, now." Sofia walked briskly through the crowd, while Lily and her family struggled to keep up.

Lily was still in awe as she walked through the crowd, looking at the witches and wizards who greeted Sofia. "More Muggle-borns you got there, Sofia?" a man with a deep voice said, smiling. Sofia nodded curtly. "Could you move please, Felix? I need to bring this family to Diagon Alley. I'll talk to you later." Felix moved out of the way, and Sofia smiled at the Evans. "That was Felix Howard. You may be seeing more of him this year," she hinted mysteriously to Lily. She said no more, and a moment later they found themselves staring at a brick wall.

"Is this Dragon Alley?" Leanne asked, confused. Sofia just laughed. "No, no of course not," she said. "_Diagon_ Alley, I assure you, will interest you much more than this wall." Without waiting for a reply, she turned and tapped a single brick on the wall after muttering to herself. "Stand back," Sofia cautioned. Petunia's mouth dropped open as the bricks rearranged themselves to form a gateway. Lily gasped as she looked through; there seemed to be a huge wizard shopping area before her eyes.

Sofia gently but firmly placed her hand on Lily's shoulder. "I'll be going now," she said to the Evans family. "There may be more families which I will have to escort. Be careful, and I'm sure you'll find someone who will help you come back. But, just as a warning since it's your first time here, steer clear of Knockturn Alley." She turned around and left, leaving Lily and her family free to roam.

Petunia had never looked so excited in her life. She had clearly forgotten that she was supposed to be mad at Lily; mad at the world. "Come on, let's go buy stuff!" she shouted impatiently, tugging at her mother's shirt. Sighing, her mother pulled Petunia back and bent down to talk to her older daughter. "Petunia, we're only here to buy things for Lily. She's the one that's going to be attending a magical school, and she's the one who's a witch. We're sorry, honey," Leanne said, gesturing at Josh. "But you can't get anything." The excited smile on Petunia's face was wiped off in an instant and replaced by a scowl. Leanne and Josh shot each other apprehensive looks as Petunia rambled on incessantly under her breath about how unfair it all was while they browsed around Diagon Alley.

Lily was upset about how she was acting, Petunia noticed. The knowledge of this gave her a grim feeling of satisfaction. She didn't really feel this way about her sister. The two of them had grown up being close friends and they had both been in love with anything to do with magic, even after they should have outgrown it. However, Petunia was extremely jealous that Lily got to be a witch and she didn't. She once again felt a sudden surge of hate towards her younger sister, and these brief moments of hatred were becoming more frequent. She decided at that moment that she would despise everything magical. She would not share her family's happiness that Lily was magical. After all, it was _not_ fair that Lily got to be a witch and go to a magical school. A good-looking boy about her sister's age came up and introduced himself and the people with him. "Great, and she gets the friends, too," Petunia thought bitterly.

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James fell out of a fireplace and quickly stood up before his father came tumbling through as well, although Chris was considerably less dirty and covered in less soot. "That was so much fun, Dad!" James grinned. "Can we do that again?" Chris smiled at James's energy. "Not right now, son," he said. "But we'll take the Floo back home, alright?" James thought for a moment, then nodded at this compromise. "Come on, let's go!" James grabbed his Dad's hand excitedly.

Half an hour later, in Flourish & Botts, Chris tugged his son away from a book titled '1001 Great Pranks and Tricks to Pull on Your Friends'. "James," he said sternly. "Don't even think about pulling any of those pranks at home." James supplanted his mischievous grin with an innocent smile which didn't fool his dad at all. "James, I'm serious," Chris said.

"And so am I!" exclaimed a boy behind Chris, with short black hair that was much tamer than James's. The boy had an arrogant air around him. "The name's Sirius Black," the boy said pompously, holding out a hand. James shook it. "James Potter," he said with an equal amount of arrogance in his voice. Sirius looked taken aback for a millisecond, then regained his composure. "Nice to meet you," he said in a superior voice. James nodded curtly, but wasn't about to let himself be a pushover for Sirius. "You too. Is it going to be your first year at Hogwarts?" James asked haughtily, motioning at the robes that Sirius was carrying in a bag marked 'Madam Malkin's Robes for Every Occasion'. Sirius nodded, looking surprised about meeting someone who seemed to be as egotistical as he was, and James was wearing a smug expression on his face.

"Oh dear," Chris Potter said to himself. Both boys jerked their heads up to look at James's father. "James, please tell me I'm dreaming. I can manage you, but I can't manage _two_ of you." James smiled evilly. "Sirius, this is my dad, Chris," he introduced. "I'm going to be a first-year at Hogwarts, too."

Sirius stuck out his hand for Chris to shake as well. "Where are your parents?" he inquired, wondering why Sirius was alone. Sirius shifted uncomfortably at the mention of his parents. "Oh, you know, around," he said, trying to avoid the question. James noticed, and shot him a quizzical look. Sirius threw him a menacing look in return, but James wasn't the least bit alarmed. However, although he didn't want to, he didn't say anything as he sensed that Sirius didn't want to talk about his parents.

Chris didn't want to put up with two energetic youngsters after James had woken him up at five in the morning in excitement. "You two, I'll drop you off at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor for a while, okay? You can talk and stuff," he said tiredly, hoping this suggestion would be appealing to James and his new acquaintance.

James and Sirius looked at each other and shrugged. "Yeah, whatever," James said, motioning for Sirius to follow him and his dad. When they were safely at the ice cream parlor, James turned to Sirius. "So, why so uncomfortable about your family?" he said in a conceited tone. Sirius was glaring daggers at him, and James figured that he should tone it down a bit. He dropped his arrogant manner, something which he rarely did in front of others, and asked more quietly, "What's wrong with your family?"

Sirius didn't say anything to this boy, James Potter. Oh, how often he heard horrible things about the Potters at his home of Muggle-hating freaks. They were Dumbledore followers, apparently. Not to be associated with. "More the reason to be friends with James," Sirius thought. He would never admit it, but here he had finally found someone who could match him in ego. And that was a rather appealing characteristic in a friend.

James was not going to give up that easily. "Why…do you have something…against your family," he asked more slowly, as though Sirius could not understand plain English, but still with a tone of concern in his voice. Sirius's head snapped up. He knew that it would have taken James a lot of effort to manage that tone. "I can understand English," he retorted. "My family are freaks, what can I say? 'Purification'…wipe out all the _Mudbloods_…" Sirius said scathingly, mimicking his parents and relatives. James's mouth was hanging open. He quickly closed it as he realized that it was open, but not before Sirius saw and sniggered.

"Well, that's what you need friends for sometimes—to get away from those who annoy you," James said solemnly, holding out his hand. Sirius took it without thinking; he didn't remember how similar James was to him. Once his hand touched James's, he was zapped. "Ow," he said, jumping back and glaring at James, who was now the one sniggering. "James Potter, you better watch out, because I won't forget that you did that!" Sirius cried.

James laughed. "Looking forward to it," he said. Sirius gave him an odd look, but then started laughing as well. They were still laughing when Chris came back to bring them to get Harry his wand. "I've already got mine," Sirius stated brusquely. "Ash, 11.5 inches, contains a dragon's heartstring, bendy, and good for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

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Remus got off the Knight Bus with his mother. "I am _never_ taking that again," Remus stated, his legs shaking. "Remus John Lupin," Joanna Lupin said firmly. "You are going to take that back home, unless you would prefer to take the Floo." Remus grimaced, remembering his first time traveling through the Floo Network. He had not had a very successful experience, but he knew that he would eventually have to learn. Maybe one day he would be able to travel comfortably through the fires.

He and his mom walked into Diagon Alley. "Well, let's go get you your books first," Joanna mused. Remus just followed as his mom walked into Flourish & Botts and bought his books secondhand. They were not impoverished, but as a family they always worked to spend as little money as possible. "Why so quiet, Remus?" Joanna asked kindly. Remus wasn't usually the shy type. He just shrugged. To be honest, he felt uncomfortable around all these people. True, he wasn't usually quiet, but this was different. He had gone to Muggle schools in the past, and didn't know how the magical sort would reaction to his condition.

"Mom, I think I'll go get my own things," Remus said quietly. He liked spending time with his mom, but for once he wanted to go around by himself. "I need a couple of robes for school; hopefully they'll last me at least four years." Joanna embraced him then allowed him to go browse Diagon Alley alone.

Ten minutes later, Remus was being fitted into robes by Madam Malkin herself. "First year at Hogwarts?" she inquired. Remus nodded as the boy next to him turned around in interest. "I'm beginning Hogwarts as well," the black-haired boy said. "I _do_ hope I'll get into Gryffindor, although dear old mum would probably skin me alive. What house do you want to be in?"

Remus thought that this boy had an aura about him of overconfidence, but answered. "Oh, I dunno. Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, I assume," he said. "Name?"

"Sirius Black," the black-haired boy said firmly. Remus nodded his head. "Remus Lupin. Nice to meet you," he greeted as Madam Malkin arrived with his robes. He quickly paid, and was annoyed to see Sirius looking at his money, or lack thereof, with interest. However, it was not with a disgusted look; he only seemed merely bored.

"Well, I'll be going now," Remus said uncertainly to Sirius, whom he thought was overly egotistical. "I need to get my wand. I do hope I have enough money," he said worriedly, checking his pockets. Sirius nodded. "See you at Hogwarts, or before that." Remus said goodbye and left, not too sure what to think of Sirius. _"Well, at least he doesn't seem to have a problem with the fact that I don't have a lot of money,"_ Remus thought.

He arrived at Ollivander's shortly after. He glanced up. "Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C." he said out loud as he read the small letters underneath the huge gold letters reading, 'OLLIVANDER'S'. He walked into the wand store. It was musty and rather dark inside, as though proper lighting had never been installed. He jumped as he heard a voice right behind him. He whirled around to find himself face to face with a seemingly old man, with white hair and spectacles. Remus squirmed uncomfortably as the man, who he assumed was Mr. Ollivander, peered into his hazel-gray eyes.

"Ah, Mr. Lupin. Starting your first year at Hogwarts I see," Mr. Ollivander said in a soft and mystical voice. Remus was starting to become more and more unsettled the more Mr. Ollivander spoke, and now he was attempting to back away as far as possible from the wand-dealer without being noticed. Mr. Ollivander chuckled and retreated behind the counter to the seemingly infinite number of boxes that he had in his possession.

After a moment of contemplation, he asked Remus, "Your wand hand?" Remus pointed at his left hand. Mr. Ollivander quickly turned back to the boxes. "Ah…hmm…"

Remus was rather concerned when Mr. Ollivander hadn't picked out a wand for him to try after five minutes.

The entrance to the wand shop opened. Remus was glad for any distraction, so he turned around to see who the new visitors were. The boy he had seen before, Sirius, had arrived, but this time he was with another boy who seemed to hold himself with enough arrogance to rival Sirius himself. The boy was whining. "But _Dad_, I really want a Nimbus 1002! They're the best out there right now!"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Quidditch freaks," he muttered to himself, smiling. He didn't have anything against being obsessed with Quidditch, but he did find it rather amusing to see others being so attached to the sport.

Mr. Ollivander, it seemed, had also been distracted by the new customer. He was peering at James the same way which he had with Remus, but the messy-haired boy was staring back at Mr. Ollivander defiantly. The older man who was with the two boys, who Remus assumed was the whining boy's father—the similarity was startling—chuckled.

Remus was growing rather impatient now. He cleared his throat, then said quietly, "Mr. Ollivander, sir, could I please try a wand now?" Mr. Ollivander jumped back in surprise; clearly having forgotten that Remus was still in the shop, wandless. "Oh yes, yes, of course," Mr. Ollivander said, noting James's wand hand—his right hand—before hurrying back behind the counter.

Sirius noticed Remus for the first time. "Ah, Remus!" He went up to Remus, slapped him on the back, and brought him to James and Chris. "Mr. Potter, James, this is Remus Lupin," Sirius said formally. "He's in our year." James grinned widely. "Quit it with the formality, Sirius," he said superiorly, holding out his hand. "I'm James Potter. First year at Hogwarts, too."

Remus looked at the two boys suspiciously. They reminded him oddly of his older brother, Kramer, who had been the prankster between the two of them. Remus had always been the studious one. He had been rather withdrawn ever since the death of his brother two years ago. He had only been 9 at the time, but he was old enough to have it affect him dearly. It still affected him a lot, but he was now able to push the thoughts to the back of his head when needed. This year, his brother should have been entering his fourth year at Hogwarts.

He shook his head to bring him back to reality, and found James staring at him strangely. "You okay?" Remus nodded. "Good, take my hand, will you?" James asked, a little too eagerly. This confirmed Remus's suspicions. Tiredly, he said, "No, I'm not looking forward to getting zapped by a little toy you got from Gambol & Japes."

James and Sirius looked at each other, quite impressed.

Mr. Ollivander finally returned from behind the counter, holding three boxes. "Mr. Lupin, try these three. You're a tough one. The wand is often made to reflect the person wielding it." Remus smiled weakly, as he opened the first box. He took out the wand and waved it around. The one light-bulb on the ceiling swayed dangerously. Mr. Ollivander shook his head. "Try the other one," he said unnecessarily. Remus nodded, and took the second box. He removed the wand and felt a surge of warmth. As he waved it around, a swish of color came flying out of the tip. Mr. Ollivander clapped his hands happily, but was chewing on his bottom lip uncertainly.

"Mr. Lupin, could you please try the third one as well?" Mr. Ollivander had a curious look on his face. Remus nodded, and took the third wand out of its box. He once again felt a surge of warmth, and when he waved it, a string of color came out of the tip. Remus was not sure what he should do. Instead, he turned helplessly to the wand-dealer.

"Odd," Mr. Ollivander said. "A wizard should not have more than one wand that works well for them. However, there is one interesting shared characteristic of these two wands, Mr. Lupin," he said, once again peering into the boy's eyes. "Can you guess what it is?"

"N-no…I don't think so," Remus said shakily. Mr. Ollivander was rather intimidating. "What is it?"

The wand-dealer's gaze tore away from Remus's to look at the two wands Remus was holding. They did not look similar in any way, and Remus was quite certain that the only similarity was that they were both wands. Mr. Ollivander paused for a moment. "Mr. Lupin, these two wands both contain a werewolf hair."

Remus paled considerably. Sirius and James were now looking at the two of them in interest, wondering what was going on. "A w-werewolf hair?" Remus questioned, still more shakily. Mr. Ollivander nodded. "Well, I would choose whichever one you feel more drawn to, Mr. Lupin."

Looking at the two wands, he could not for the life of him decide which one he felt more drawn to. Suddenly he had an idea. He picked up the two wands at once in his left hand, and waved it around. Only one of them shot out the usual stream of color. He put the other wand down, and brought the chosen wand to Mr. Ollivander. "Here, I'll go with this one," he said uncertainly. Mr. Ollivander examined the wand.

"Ah, good choice, Mr. Lupin. Cedar, 13 inches, rather stiff. Contains a werewolf hair, as I have already told you. It will serve you well in Defense Against the Dark Arts, like young Mr. Black's here."

Sirius and James ran to Remus in excitement, nearly throwing him to the ground.

"A _werewolf_ hair!" James cried.

With a faint smile, Remus waved goodbye and left the wand shop.

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James and Sirius stared in awe at Remus's retreating figure as he left. "A werewolf hair," Sirius said in disbelief.

"Ah, Mr. Potter. I see you have met Mr. Black here. Those at Hogwarts won't know what hit them," he said, suppressing a grin. James looked at Mr. Ollivander, surprised. How did he know all these things about them?

Mr. Ollivander took much less time choosing out wands for James than he had for Remus, and chose out a larger variety as well. James quickly went through them all, as he was excited to find his wand, but finished waving the last wand with disappointment.

To his surprise, Mr. Ollivander seemed to be extremely happy. "Well, well, that's not a problem, we'll just keep looking," the old wand-dealer practically squeaked. James raised an eyebrow as Mr. Ollivander ran back behind the counter to retrieve another variety of wands.

"Here, here, try this one first—mahogany, 11 inches, pliable. Contains a hippogriff's feather, and is excellent for Transfiguration."

James took hold of the wand, and waved it around before he had a chance to feel the surge of warmth that spread through his body. A huge wave of color spurted from the tip of the wand. James jumped up and punched his fist in the air. "Yes! A hippogriff feather!"

Chris laughed at his son's excitement. "Yes, James, a hippogriff feather. I'm sure this wand will suit you well," he said, as he led James and Sirius out of the store after saying goodbye to Mr. Ollivander.

"Man, that guy gives me the creeps," James said once they were out of earshot. Chris ruffled his son's hair. "Mr. Ollivander is a great man, I'm sure you'll come to find later this year," he said mysteriously, refusing to say more.

James looked at his dad questioningly who just shrugged in return. Chris knew that his son would just drop the subject and nag him about it later. Sure enough, James had turned to Sirius and was talking to him in whispers. Chris sighed. It was going to be a long, long day.

Wanting to divert their attention away from whatever they were talking about, because he had a slight idea that it might lead to mayhem later, Chris pointed out a family who seemed to be Muggles; new to the wizarding world. A girl with bright red hair and hazel-green almond-shaped eyes seemed to be leading her family. Her sister, or so Chris assumed, even though they looked completely different, had pale skin, brown hair, and gray eyes. She was sulking behind her mother.

James walked up to this family with confidence, Sirius right next to him.

"Hello, I'm James, are you starting your first year at Hogwarts?"

Lily looked at the black-haired boy in front of her. "Hi, yes I am."

_"Well, she's kind of quiet at the moment,"_ thought James, forgetting that she was a Muggle-born new to the wizarding world; almost like a fish out of the water.

"Well, this is my father, Chris, and my friend, Sirius," James introduced. "And you?"

"Um, what's _your_ name?" Lily asked. "I'm Lily."

"Oh, I'm James. Who you got there with you?"

"My sister, Petunia. Mum, Leanne, and dad, Josh." Lily motioned to each of them in turn.

James nodded, evidently only to be polite. Lily noticed him shooting strange looks at her sister, but wasn't surprised. Petunia was sulking, scowling, and throwing glares at Lily whenever she believed that Lily wasn't looking. Hell, _even_ when she knew Lily was looking. "Right. Well Sirius and I are gonna go to the Magical Menagerie, wanna come or something?"

Lily turned to her parents. "Mom, can I? Please?" Leanne and Josh both laughed, and Petunia sulked some more. "Sure, honey. Meet us at that ice cream place in an hour, alright?" Lily nodded in agreement, and hugged her parents before she left.

James and Sirius turned to her, Chris walking close behind. "So, Muggle-born, are you?"

Lily nodded. "Er, yeah, I guess so," she said uncertainly.

"I'm Sirius. Sirius Black," Sirius said as they walked towards the Menagerie.

"Um, nice to meet you," Lily replied. She felt…not uncomfortable…but out of place with these two boys. They seemed nice enough, but the way they carried themselves, with an air of superiority, was something she had never seen before. It intrigued her, however, that anyone could have such an inflated ego.

They arrived at the Magical Menagerie. Upon entering, Lily gasped. James and Sirius chuckled. "Never seen all these owls and rats before, right?" The Menagerie was covered from ceiling to floor with animals—mainly owls, cats, toads, and…

Suddenly Lily realized what James had just said. "Rats!" Lily shrieked. James smirked. "Yes dear, rats."

Lily nearly fainted, then determinedly avoided the rats and walked towards the owls. "Don't they have an owl shop around here?" she inquired, distantly recalling passing one as she had entered Diagon Alley. "And what does the magical world use these animals for, anyhow?

"They're just pets, but owls are damn useful. They'll send your mail and all. But you'll need a cage, Owl Treats, and that stuff. Oh, and that store is called Eeylops Owl Emporium," James said promptly. Lily nodded. "Yes, that was it," she said absently as she picked up a tawny owl and stroked it. Suddenly her eye caught a beautiful mottled owl in a corner of the room. She walked towards it, and picked it up.

"It's beautiful," she breathed softly.

"It's a she," Sirius and James said in unison, smirking.

Lily threw a disgruntled look at the boys. "My apologies," she said sweetly. "Now, seeing as that I haven't exchanged Muggle currency yet, would you two be kind enough pay for this owl? I'll pay you back as soon as I can." Her voice was sickeningly honey-laced.

"My pleasure. But don't expect a Christmas present," Sirius said warningly.

"Oh, I'll be expecting one anyway," Lily said in the same tone. "It was my birthday two weeks ago." Sirius glared at her.

"Do you want me to get it for you or not?" he demanded. Lily laughed. "Yes, please. Thanks."

Ten minutes later, a very happy Lily Evans walked out of the Menagerie holding a bag and a cage containing an owl. She gazed at her, mesmerized.

"Avaria," she whispered softly.

----------------------------

Remus watched Sirius and James from a distance. They were now with another person, who he assumed was another first year. She had wavy dark red hair and emerald green eyes. _"She looks like a nice girl,"_ Remus thought as he gazed at the girl who was looking at her owl with a raptured expression.

He wandered closer to the three, hoping to capture her name due to his excellent hearing. Unfortunately, James spotted him and waved him over. Reluctantly, he walked over with a smile plastered on his face.

"Hi James, hi Sirius," he said cheerfully, with a hint of apprehension. Only Lily heard this, but he gave her a meaningful glare as she shot him a questioning look.

"Hi Remus. This is Lily, I don't think you've met her yet, have you?"

Remus shook his head. "No, no I haven't. I'm Remus."

"I've picked up that much. Nice to meet you."

Lily examined the boy in front of her. He was wearing robes, but they were rather tattered and worn. However, he was holding a bag which was labeled Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Lily supposed that she was to make a stop there later. Lily was mystified by the tired yet sharp and alert expression on the boy's—Remus's—face.

Remus watched as Lily looked at him. He cringed inwardly as he remembered what he was wearing, and the looks he had received all day because of it. However, the girl's eyes showed anything but a look of disgust. In fact, she seemed mildly intrigued. Remus was glad he had met someone who didn't match Sirius and James in arrogance.

James and Sirius broke the silence. "So, er, Lily, you've decided to name your owl Avaria?" Lily nodded. "I remember reading it somewhere, but I don't recall where. I like the name, though," she stated.

Remus nodded. "Avaria. Nice name," he commented. Lily smiled and nodded.

She had to jump out of the way with a yelp just five seconds later as a hurricane of a girl nearly ran into all four of them.

Lily realized she was mistaken after she took a closer look at the interruption, who had stopped when she realized she had nearly ran into some people. It was two girls, not one. Their cheeks were both flushed and their hair had been tousled in the wind.

"Sorry about that," one girl said. He voice was surprisingly soulful, but at the same time harsh. She had relatively straight black hair, and had a small hint of an American accent in her voice, although she looked semi-Asian. She was breathing heavily, and was holding a bag. She ran a free hand through her now-tangled hair. She was taller than her friend, and held herself with confidence. However, her eyes seemed almost disoriented, as though she saw the world through a bad view.

"We didn't realize…er…"

"It's alright," Lily replied, still rather shocked but slowly regaining her composure. The second girl nodded in apology. "Yeah. Like Sierra said. Our bad." She grinned as her friend glared at her.

This girl was a brunette. A curly-haired brunette. Nearly a head shorter than her friend, but not quite, she had blue-gray eyes that sparkled. She was energetic—that much was evident, Lily decided, even though the girl was even shorter than her.

"First year at Hogwarts?" the part-Asian girl queried, motioning at both Sirius and Remus's bags. The four of them nodded.

"Excellent," the girl said. "Us too."

Lily held out a hand. "I'm Lily. Nice to meet some other girls going to Hogwarts. No offense, guys," she added as Sirius and James pretended to look hurt. "Oh yeah. This is Sirius, James, and Remus."

The two girls gave James and Sirius odd looks, and the two of them immediately stopped pouting. "I'm Adrienne," the brunette introduced.

The part-Asian girl nodded. "And, on the contrary to what Adrienne here says, my name is Naomi, _not_ Sierra. Don't call me that, or your ass will promptly be kicked. Any volunteers for a demonstration?"

An awkward silence followed this. Even Sirius and James were slightly stunned at the tough exterior of this girl, Naomi. Lily could swear her owl, Avaria, was eyeing the girl apprehensively.

Naomi was unfazed. "I didn't think so," she said, smirking. She tossed her head. "So."

Adrienne was the only one who didn't seem the least bit intimidated by Naomi.

* * *

**Whew, this was a long chapter. I know nothing interesting has really happened yet, but this isn't supposed to be a thriller—especially not yet. I'm still trying to tell the story at the moment.**

**Avaria**** is pronounced uh-VAR-ee-a.**

**I once again apologize for any facts in this that may contradict the actual Harry Potter books. I'm trying my best to stay accurate with the HP Lexicon, but since I'm lacking the books, it's sometimes hard. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter…please review! **

**The next chapter will be up as soon as possible. It'll be about the Hogwarts Express, and possibly the sorting. Maybe something else too! I'm making this up as I go.**


	3. Welcome to Hogwarts

**Disclaimer:** Please refer to the disclaimer on the first chapter of this story. Thank you.

**Chapter Summary:** Time for the Hogwarts Express, the sorting, and more!

**A/N:** This was a fun chapter to write, I guess, but it was kind of tedious to do the Sorting, which took three Microsoft Word pages phew. I have a bit of writer's block, and I've never even gotten this far into a story before, so it's kind of hard to write quickly and make everything interesting. Therefore, sorry for the delay!

**PLEASE NOTE:** I don't have the Harry Potter books in my possession, at least not all of them. So please excuse me if I get some facts wrong here and there; I don't have much to check them with.

**Please review! Don't flame please, but constructive criticism is welcome. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 3  
Welcome to Hogwarts**

James had never been so excited in his life. Or so he told his dad, who disagreed. "I think you were more excited the first time I let you fly," Chris had said. James had stuck out his tongue.

That had been before. Now, he was standing between Platforms 9 and 10 at Kings Cross Station. He was jumpy and was positive that his father was annoyed at him. Extremely annoyed.

"Dad," he whined. _"For the thirty-fourth time ever since we've left home,"_ Chris thought. They had taken the Knight Bus to the station. "Yes, James?" he asked kindly through clenched teeth.

"When do I get to be at Hogwarts?"

Chris sighed. "For the last time, James, you won't be there until after you've finished your…ride…on the Hogwarts Express."

James nodded excitedly. Chris sighed in relief as he spotted other familiar wizarding families entering the station. He knew that at least now, James would behave more maturely. He would probably calm down. _"Good that it's not Sirius here at the moment,"_ a voice inside him said. He knew full well that if Sirius came with his family, anyhow, that they would not allow him near James. He was now sure that Sirius wasn't anything like the rest of his family, but he had been skeptical at first.

"Look, it's Lily," James pointed. Chris knew his son was right; the bright red hair could be spotted from far away. It was a unique color.

Chris frowned. "Why is she dragging her trunk and owl along alone? Come on, James, we're going to go help her."

They approached Lily. "Want some help?" Chris offered. Lily smiled gratefully. "Yeah, that would be great. Thanks."

She looked at James, who was chewing on his lip, frowning. "What?" she demanded.

"Why are you carrying your trunk alone? Where are your parents?" he asked.

"Oh, they left. Petunia refused to leave the car, and threw a tantrum when mum and dad asked her to stay there. She can be a pain sometimes, and there was nothing they could do," Lily said, pretending to not care yet failing miserably. As much as she tried to hide it, even James could hear the hurt in her voice.

"Well, we were just about to cross the barrier, so why don't you come with us?" Chris suggested. Lily smacked her forehead.

"That reminds me. Where's Platform 9 and ¾?" she asked uncertainly, looking at her ticket."I know for a fact that the platform doesn't exist. At least, not in Muggle world," she said, eyeing James and his father suspiciously.

Chris laughed. "Oh, you see that brick wall?" he said, lowering his voice. "Just walk through that when no one's looking. That's a barrier, it'll bring you to Platform 9 and ¾."

Lily looked skeptical. "Are you trying to embarass me?"

"The guard's there to make sure nothing bad happens," Chris said reassuringly. "James, why don't you go first to show Lily?"

James scowled, but complied. He ran towards the brick wall. Lily closed her eyes andcovered her ears for thecrash on impact, but it never came. She slowly opened her eyes, to find that James was no longer there.

Chris was smiling at her. "Come on. Give it a try," he encouraged. Lily took her trunk and went towards the brick wall, still throwing it skeptical looks. When no one was looking, she walked into the brick wall.

Except she never hit it. She opened her eyes, and gasped.

Lily blinked several times. The image before her eyes was still there.

A scarlet train engine stood before her, with a seemingly endless row of red carriages behind it. There was a sign above her. She lifted her head to read it.

Platform 9 and ¾. It was real.

Along the side of the train was a label. 'The Hogwarts Express', it said.

"Want help?" a voice said beside her. Chris was next to her; she hadn't heard him come through the barrier. She realized that she had been standing there for nearly ten minutes. She glanced up at the clock and was startled to see that in a few seconds or so, the train would probably leave without her. She nodded hurriedly, and scrambled onto the train with Chris helping her with her luggage.

"Thanks," she said breathlessly as the Hogwarts Express pulled away.

--------------

Lily Evans walked through the compartments of the train. They all seemed to be full. She passed Sirius and James in one, but was reluctant to sit with them through an entire train ride. Remus had been with them as well.

She pushed past more people and entered a compartment with several witches and wizards clad in robes accented with silver and green. They smirked at her, and Lily immediately got the impression that she was not wanted.

"I saw her talking to Black in Diagon Alley," Lucius hissed into Narcissa's ear. Lily didn't fail to hear this comment, and quickly walked through the rest of the compartments after Narcissa glared at her. She was glad when she found Naomi and Adrienne in a compartment near the end of the train with another girl.

"Hey guys," Lily said as she collapsed into a seat across from Adrienne, tired from dragging her trunk around.

"Hey," Naomi said, acknowledging her with a curt nod. Lily was still intimidated by her rather curt manner and stony exterior, but didn't show it.

Adrienne was more welcoming. "Hey Lily. Nice to see you," she said cheerfully. "This is Aislynn." Adrienne pointed to the girl sitting next to her. Her hair was dark brown and she looked like a sweet person.

_"Never judge a book by its cover,"_ a voice in Lily's head said darkly. She had more than enough experience to know that.

"Hey. You're Lily?" Aislynn asked, offering a hand. Lily took it.

"Yes," she confirmed. "Nice to meet you."

Aislynn turned back to the other two girls. "So what house do you think you guys will be in?"

Naomi shrugged. "Knowing me, probably Slytherin," she smirked. Adrienne rolled her eyes. Naomi would never be in Slytherin. She seemed to have an icy demeanor to others, but Adrienne knew her heart was good.

"What are houses?" Lily inquired.

Aislynn and Adrienne turned to her. "Oh, are you a Muggle-born?" Aislynn asked. Lily nodded.

"That's cool. We're pure-bloods—that means both our parents are of the magical kind—and Naomi is Muggle-born, but she found out that I was a witch by accident a few years ago, so she knows a lot about the wizarding world anyway," Adrienne said in one breath. "We live close to each other. It was exciting when we found out she was accepted to Hogwarts too."

Lily nodded, although she wasn't certain what she was nodding to. Aislynn spoke.

"Hogwarts has four houses, which you are sorted into by some impartial figure. I'm not sure what it is though," Aislynn said. "The houses are Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff."

"Ravenclaw's for the brains," Adrienne piped up. "Gryffindor's for the brave people, Hufflepuff is for just the sweet and nice people, and Slytherin's a load of crap. They're evil."

"Not all of them, they're not," Naomi countered. "I'll testify that those two we passed on our way down here are, though. Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black, I think."

Lily heard the name Black and was startled. "I passed them on my way down here too. The girl was a Black?"

Naomi nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"All Blacks go bad," Adrienne added.

"Have you guys met—" Lily started to say but was interrupted by a girl barging into their compartment. She had long, straight light brown hair and had a very sprightly vibe about her. She was out of breath. "Can we sit here?" she said quickly, motioning to a girl behind her. "Everywhere else is full, or they don't want me there."

_"Like the Slytherins,"_ Lily thought. "Sure, you can sit here. I'm Lily, and this is Naomi, Adrienne, and Aislynn."

The girl nodded, absorbing the information. "I'm a second-year, Leah. I'm in Gryffindor, and my friends' compartment is full." Leah made a face. "My sister Cayenne is a first-year though."

"Hey," said Cayenne. "Are you guys first-years?" The four of them nodded, and Cayenne brightened. "Excellent." The dirty-blonde seemed to have inherited her sister's liveliness.

"So, Lily, what were you saying?" Ayslinn asked. Lily pondered for a moment, then snapped her fingers.

"Oh yeah. Have either of you met Sirius Black? Now that I think of it, I could swear that I saw that girl glaring at Sirius from afar when I was at Diagon Alley. Are they related? He doesn't seem like a bad person."

Naomi shrugged. "Oh, that boy who was being stupid with the guy with messy hair?" Lily nodded. "Yeah, you could put it that way."

"Well, I'll be damned. He's gonna go bad, I expect," Naomi scowled.

"I'm not sure," Lily said uncertainly. She didn't particularly like Naomi, and hoped that she would be sorted into a different house than her.

-----------------

Before long, the Hogwarts Express began to slow down. The six girls decided to change into their robes. When the train came to a full stop, they stepped out with their trunks, and in Lily's case, and owl, to join a huge crowd. "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" a huge figure said. Lily stared in disbelief.

"That's Hagrid," Leah said hurriedly to the girls with her. "He'll lead you to Hogwarts. Follow him," she said before running off to join her friends.

Still speechless, Lily turned to the others, who also had apprehensive looks on their faces at encountering a person so large. Only Cayenne seemed unshaken.

"Firs' years follow me!"

Lily, Cayenne, Aislynn, Adrienne, and Naomi pushed their way towards the huge man Leah had called Hagrid. "We're gonna take boats to Hogwarts?" Naomi said skeptically as they spied a few boats near Hagrid.

"Looks like it," Aislynn said.

"Four to a boat!" a voice cried behind them.

"Yep, looks like we're taking the boats. Who's gonna split up?"

Naomi and Adrienne looked at each other and shrugged. "We'll go on another boat. You guys go ahead," Adrienne said. The girls agreed. "Alright. We'll see you there."

Lily, Aislynn, and Cayenne climbed into a boat and were followed by a girl who had a surly look on her face. "I can't believe I lost my cat already," she grumbled.

"Er…hi," Lily said in greeting. The girl looked up in surprise. She had sharp features, but her face softened when she saw that no one was looking at her with contempt.

"Hi," the girl said, looking down at her feet.

"I'm Aislynn, what's your name?"

The girl looked up. She was obviously rather shy, but now that the scowl was removed from her face, she looked like a kind girl. "I'm Sophie," she said.

"Nice to meet you Sophie. I'm Lily."

"And I'm Cayenne."

Sophie smiled at them shyly, but didn't say anything. They looked nice and they seemed to want to be friends with her, but she had gone through too many friendship problems to be able to easily befriend others.

----------

"Come on," Aislynn said as they finished crossing the lake. "Bye, Sophie," she called out as she saw Sophie going in a different direction.

Aislynn frowned. "Was she really quiet or did she just not like us?"

Lily shrugged. "I think she was shy. Now hurry up, lets follow…Hagrid."

The three girls trudged up to Hogwarts. The sight of it took Lily's breath away. "It's amazing," she said in wonder, looking up at the enormous castle. The two other girls nodded their agreement as they entered the castle.

A lady who looked very strict met the new students at the door of the castle. "I'll take them from here, Hagrid," she said in a voice that matched her looks. Lily looked uneasily at the teacher.

"I am Professor McGonagall, and you will address me as so unless I tell you otherwise, which I assure you I will not," the teacher said. "Now, follow me."

The first-years walked in silence, a few with fear and a few with arrogance. They stopped outside a large door.

"Stay here," Professor McGonagall said. She slipped through the doors. The first-years remained silent, and Lily could see Lucius smirking at those who had fear in their eyes.

When Professor McGonagall came out a few minutes later, not many people had moved. She motioned for them to enter.

"Welcome to the Great Hall."

-----------------

Lily stared up at the ceiling in awe. "It looks like the night sky," she said softly. Aislynn turned to her. "It's enchanted to look like that." Lily still thought it was amazing.

"How do we get sorted?" she asked Cayenne, who shrugged.

"My sister never told me. She said it didn't hurt, though," Cayenne said. "Then again, she could be lying."

Lily smiled. "That didn't help."

Cayenne laughed. "I know."

Suddenly, a voice boomed out from the teacher's table which was at the head of the room. Lily noticed that there were four tables, with streamers above each one which seemed to depict the house's colors.

"Please welcome our new first-years," a silver-haired man said. His hair was long. "Who's that?" Lily whispered.

"Professor Albus Dumbledore," Cayenne said in response. "The smartest and most powerful wizard of all time."

"Please place the Sorting Hat, which is currently seated on this stool, on your head. It will sort you into whatever house it feels you belong in."

Lily breathed a sigh of relief. She had been extremely worried. She was still scared that she wouldn't be sorted, but she fought her fear and kept a calm composure.

"Hey Lily," a voice behind her said. She turned around to see none other than Sirius Black.

"Black," she said, less of an insult that a comment. She glared at him, hoping that he might leave her alone. If what Adrienne had said was correct, he would be a bad person. Sirius looked slightly shocked but hid it and turned away.

Suddenly the Great Hall burst into applause. Professor Dumbledore had finished speaking, and was now pointing at the hat on the stool in front of the teachers' table. The rim of the hat opened, and to Lily's surprise, it burst into song.

_I may be patched and old_

_But I have gone through lots of wear_

_And if you take a closer look_

_You won't find one tear_

_So listen to me, young ones_

_I can see inside your mind_

_I'll place you in a house_

_According to what I'll find_

_There were once four close friends with a dream_

_Named Helga, Rowena, Salazar, and Godric_

_Together they founded the walls of this castle _

_And decided which students they would pick_

_Gryffindor chose those who were courageous_

_Those who were brave and strong _

_If you don't contain these qualities_

_You won't last in there for long _

_Hufflepuff chose to take them all_

_Especially those kind at heart _

_If you're looking for a helping hand_

_This is where to start _

_Ravenclaw chose the most intelligent_

_Those who, like her, had a sharp mind _

_She wanted to take the quick-witted ones_

_And that is what here you'll find_

_Slytherin chose the ones with pure blood_

_Half-bloods he refused to teach_

_He wanted those who were sly and clever_

_And this goal he has worked hard to reach_

_My job here tonight is to sort you out _

_And place you in the house that is best for you_

_Now the Sorting is about to begin_

_Let's see how you lot will do._

Everyone applauded, with the exception of a few Slytherins who were scowling at many of the first-years. Lily felt her heart in her throat; she was nervous for the Sorting. She didn't feel like she belonged in any of the houses at the moment.

"Minerva, please call the first-years up here one by one," Professor Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. Professor McGonagall nodded, and took a scroll from her pocket. She unrolled it, and began reading.

"Adams, Sylvie!"

A petite girl walked up to the stool nervously and put the hat on her head. Within thirty seconds, the hat cried out its decision.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

A table on the left, clad in yellow, burst into applause.

"Ashford, Nelson!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" More applause.

"Black, Narcissa!"

The girl who Lily had seen on the train with Lucius went up to the stool with a smug look on her face. It didn't take long for the hat to yell out its decision.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Narcissa walked proudly over to the applauding table.

"Black, Sirius!"

Lily watched with narrowed eyes as Sirius, who looked different from his relative, walked up to the stool with confidence. The hat took a long time in making its decision, but Lily was surprised with the house it called out.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table, near the far wall and clad in red and gold, clapped enthusiastically. Sirius walked over to the table looking half-excited but half-worried. Lily was surprised; she had been sure from what she had heard that Sirius would have been a Slytherin.

"Brooks, Spencer!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table, clad in green and silver, clapped for their second new addition.

"Burlock, Sophie!"

Lily, Aislynn, and Cayenne watched as the shy girl they had encountered on their boat ran up to the stool and placed the hat carefully on her head. She took a fairly long time, but the hat finally made its decision.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Lily watched with mild interest as other children got sorted into houses. 'Carmen, Elizabeth' became the first Ravenclaw. The blue-clad table applauded. A few more children went before Lily recognized anyone.

"Coleman, Naomi!"

Naomi walked up to the stool and rammed the hat on her head. A moment later, the hat cried out its decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily sighed. She had thought about it, and was positive she was going to be in either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. Perhaps she had brains she didn't know of yet, but she didn't think she was smart enough for Ravenclaw. She jolted herself out of her daydreaming just in time to hear her friend's name called out.

"Davis, Cayenne!"

"Wish me luck," Cayenne mouthed to Lily, then ran up to the stool. She jammed the hat onto her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily breathed a sigh of relief. Now all she could do was cross her fingers and hope to be sorted into Gryffindor as well.

She started becoming more and more nervous as the last names proceeded alphabetically towards hers. After 'Eton, Ashleigh' became sorted into Slytherin, she heard her name.

"Evans, Lily!"

She took a deep breath and proceeded towards the stool. She stole a quick glance at the Gryffindor table, and Cayenne smiled encouragingly at her. Her confidence regained, she quickly sat down and placed the hat on her head.

_Ah, Lily Evans,_ a voice in her head said. Lily almost jumped.

_Nervous, are you?_ The hat chuckled. Lily got over her initial shock and didn't answer.

_I sense kindness…maybe Hufflepuff would do? But there is courage…perhaps Gryffindor. You are clever, my dear…Ravenclaw or Slytherin would do you well also. Hmmm? Tough one, my little girl…_

Lily gripped the sides of the stool. _"Gryffindor, please let me be in Gryffindor…"_ she thought.

_You want to be in Gryffindor, eh?_ A voice said. Lily almost scowled. Of course this hat would be able to read her mind.

_Well, it's your choice, dear,_ the voice said. Very hypocritical, Lily thought, considering that it was the hat that decided in the end. _If you're sure, which you seem to be…welcome to Gryffindor!_

Lily heard the hat yell the last word out to the entire school. She removed the hat from her head, perhaps with more force than usual, and happily walked over to an applauding crowd. Cayenne motioned for Lily to sit down next to her, and she did.

A few more first-years had been sorted by this time, and she turned her attention to the next girl being sorted.

"Harvey, Candace!"

A blonde girl walked up to the stool and put the hat on her head reluctantly. A moment later, she was placed into Ravenclaw.

"Guess the blonde stereotype isn't true," Cayenne whispered to Lily, who rolled her eyes. A few more first-years got sorted before anyone caught her attention.

"Jermaine, Lakeisha!"

A serene-looking black girl was walking up to the stool, but it was her name that had caught Lily's attention. It wasn't a name Lily had ever heard before. Lakeisha Jermaine.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Lily made a mental note in her head to become friends with some of the people in other houses. Lakeisha, Elizabeth, Candace, Sophie…the list went on.

She found herself drifting off again and shook the drowsy feeling off. Only one guy had been sorted into Gryffindor so far, and she wanted to see who else would be sorted into her house. Apart from James Potter, because she was positive that he would be sorted with Sirius.

"Lupin, Remus!"

Lily's ears perked up as she heard his name. Maybe he would be in her house as well. She wasn't disappointed.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily clapped and cheered hard with the rest of the Gryffindors.

"Malfoy, Lucius!"

The hat barely touched his head before it yelled a decision.

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Figures," mumbled Sirius, thinking no one could hear him.

"Marcus, Adrienne!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily clapped hard for her friend, who sat herself down next to Naomi.

"Pellyn, Daryl!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Pettigrew, Peter!"

A short, scrawny boy who looked Lily thought had many mouse-like features ran up to the stool.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily was surprised, but applauded with the rest of her table. The boy, Peter, nervously sat down.

"Potter, James!"

Lily didn't even bother to look up.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

James sauntered to the Gryffindor table with a confident grin. He sat down next to Sirius, who gave him a thumbs up and a high five. Lily raised an eyebrow, but only James noticed. He gave her a quick smile then turned back to the sorting. Lily did as well.

The crowd of first years had considerably thinned. 'Thompson, Louis' was sorted into Hufflepuff, and not long afterwards 'Strauss, Edaline' was sorted into Ravenclaw. There was only one more person whose sorting Lily was looking forward to. It came before long.

"Weller, Aislynn!"

She put the Sorting Hat on her head. Lily held her breath, but it wasn't long before the Hat announced its decision.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Lily and Aislynn looked at each other and shrugged. They were both disappointed, but they knew that being in different houses wouldn't prevent them from being friends. However, Lily still felt less spirited than she had moments before. There were five more people yet to be sorted, and Lily attentively watched. She wanted to know if there would be another Gryffindor.

"Westcott, Genevieve!"

A tall, brown-haired girl walked up to the stool.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Yager, Makani!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table erupted into applause once again as the strawberry blonde girl walked over.

"York, Marvin!"

A boy with dark brown hair walked up to the stool. It seemed to Lily that he was extremely nervous.

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Zale, Brian!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

The dirty-blonde haired boy walked over to the cheering Slytherin table. There was one more person yet to be sorted.

"Zuckerman, Scarlett!"

Everyone in the Great Hall was silent as they waited to see which house this last girl would be sorted into.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The entire Gryffindor table stood up and cheered as the girl with auburn hair sat down nervously next to Lily, who gave her a smile in greeting.

Dumbledore stood up and gave a speech of welcome. Lily didn't listen, she was restless in her seat. Never before had she ever seen such a large room, and the ceiling still intrigued her to no ends.

Her daydreaming ended when food appeared on the table in front of her in endless amounts. Someone nearby yelped, and Lily saw an older girl grinning at Sirius and giving him a thumbs up. She helped herself to some mashed potatoes, and although she wasn't hungry, began to eat.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Cayenne declared, looking around the Hall in awe. Lily nodded in agreement; she wished Petunia was here to enjoy it all with her.

At the thought of Petunia, Lily's spirits dwindled. She had a sinking feeling in her heart that her older sister was capable of holding a grudge, even as she was trying to convince herself that Petunia would grow accustomed to it eventually.

She shook off these thoughts and glanced up. She gasped and gaped at the sight before her, and many other first-years were also staring. Ghosts—or at least, that's what she thought those silvery, transparent people were supposed to be—were appearing from the walls, chatting amongst themselves.

"Look, Nick, it's the new first-years!" a kindly looking ghost said in a cheerful tone. "How are you?"

The ghost he was talking to came over to the Gryffindor table. "Are you guys going to help us win the house cup this year? I'm tired of losing to the Bloody Baron," he said, pointing to a ghost down by the Slytherin table, who was covered in silvery blood.

All the first-years nodded their heads warily, intimidated by the presence of the dead. All, that is, except James and Sirius, who looked excited when the ghost sat near them.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to them before long," a voice whispered near Lily. She turned around to see a tall, black girl whispering to Cayenne. She noticed Lily looking, and introduced herself to them both.

"I'm Elaine," she said. "Elaine Jacobs. I'm a Gryffindor prefect."

Lily and Cayenne nodded.

"I'm Cayenne."

"And I'm Lily."

Elaine nodded enthusiastically. "I hope you guys will help us do better in the house cup than last year," she said, her expression darkening slightly. "It was embarrassing last year, it was. At least it was Ravenclaw that won, not Slytherin. They still wouldn't let us live that down, though."

She lowered her voice. "And learn Defense Against the Dark Arts well, will you? There are rumors going around that some guy is trying to form a band against Muggleborns and the like. He's for the purebloods and all. He might be another Dark Lord if we don't watch out, you know? Just prepare yourselves well. I hear he graduated from Hogwarts; Professor Weller is good with Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Lily and Cayenne nodded their heads, thinking about this. Cayenne had heard the exact rumors that Elaine had talked about, and Lily was surprised. In her excitement of being magical, she had never once thought about the horrible things that witches, wizards and other magical creatures could do.

"Dark Lord?" she whispered to Cayenne, almost terrified.

"Yeah," said Cayenne. "The last one was Grindelwald, but Dumbledore defeated him. Look, take this Chocolate Frog card. Dumbledore has got to be the greatest wizard ever."

Lily looked at the moving picture of Dumbledore (she _still_ was startled to seemoving pictures—she just wasn't used to it) and read the caption beneath.

"So will he be able to defeat this one if he rises?" Lily questioned.

"Well, that's for us to see, isn't it," Cayenne replied.

----------------------

Scarlett sat on the other side of Lily, her palms sweating. She was rather nervous; she was pureblood but had never been an extrovert. When she could, she kept silent and rarely ever spoke. Everyone around her was talking excitedly, and she could see Lily and Cayenne whispering to each other. Even Adrienne, the girl sitting across from her, had struck up a conversation with the two girls.

Naomi, the last Gryffindor first-year girl, was talking to the guys. Scarlett's first assumption was that she was a flirt—a boy-obsessed girl. But on second look she realized that Naomi was almost speaking rudely to some of the two boys, James and Sirius, and looked nothing like a boy-crazy girl. Naomi was obviously a bit on the tomboyish side, but to Scarlett, it didn't matter. She was a tomboy as well.

She excused herself silently from the Gryffindor table to go to the bathroom. Almost no one noticed her, but Naomi arched her eyebrows slightly as Scarlett left the table. She hurried out of the Great Hall.

---------------------

Naomi thought that Scarlett was too quiet for her own good. The girl looked nice, but her lack of talking was almost strange. Naomi had never met anyone so quiet, so she kept attention on the girl from the corner of her eye. Therefore, she was the only one who noticed when the skinny girl stood up from the table silently and proceeded to leave the Great Hall.

There was nothing suspicious about this girl, but Naomi had to fight the urge to follow her. She was too quiet, too quiet…something could happen to her, or she could be hiding something. Even in the Wizarding world, Naomi's paranoia that prevented her from trusting anyone existed. She shook her head quickly to remove the thoughts from her head, then turned back to the guys' conversation.

James and Sirius were still arguing about who was better.

"You guys, shut up," Naomi said grumpily. "You both stink. Get over it."

The two boys looked at her angrily.

"You're joking, right?" Sirius asked accusingly, pointing a finger at her.

"No, but forget it," Naomi said, rolling her eyes. Remus caught her eye and the two of them turned away quickly to prevent themselves from laughing. Even Peter was looking at the two boys as though they were crazy.

-----------------------

Scarlett turned towards the girls' bathroom. She had just barely walked through the door when she felt herself stumble, and then everything went black.

She regained consciousness less than five minutes later, and her mind seemed to guide her back to the Great Hall. She never did use the toilet.

-----------------------

Naomi saw Scarlett return to the Great Hall, but her face looked…blank, almost. She had been quiet before, but her face had shown emotion then. Fright, nervousness, those emotions. Now her face was just blank, as though she wasn't thinking of _anything_.

Scarlett seemed fine, though; she sat down silently at the table and Naomi was sure that she was staring at her feet.

_If she's not going to talk to us, then I'm not going to talk to her,_ Naomi thought decisively. She wasn't going to talk to anyone who didn't want to talk in the first place. Maybe she stuck her nose in other peoples' business, but she never shared what she found with everyone. Whatever was going on with Scarlett, she would find out herself. Eventually.

Naomi sighed as she stuffed some more food into her mouth. This was going to be a long year, she knew it.

Suddenly Albus Dumbledore stood up from the head of the teachers' table. He clapped his hands together to get the students' attention, and the noise in the Great Hall slowly reduced. He was standing tall, his long robes only seemed to make him appear greater. Adrienne had babbled on and on about how Dumbledore was a great wizard, and Naomi could see what made everything think so.

Dumbledore's eyes sparkled incessantly. Naomi found this intriguing; never had she met anyone with eyes so bright. But while it seemed to soothe everyone around her, the warmth of his eyes didn't seem to calm her. It made her restless. She found the continuous sparkling quite irritating.

When the entire Hall was silent, Dumbledore spoke. His voice had a tone to match his eyes, and sounded strong. Naomi was surprised—the Headmaster seemed quite old, although it must have been his graying hair. It was nearly white, but quite a few brown hairs were still visible. His beard wasn't too long, but it was growing.

"I hope the first-years are enjoying the feast. I'm sorry to interrupt what must be a very satisfying meal, but I have another announcement to make."

A couple of heads jerked towards Dumbledore's direction at this point. Sirius saw Lucius Malfoy looking lazily down at his plate, ignoring every word the Headmaster said, and scowled. Dumbledore's eyes flickered over to his direction for a fraction of a second. He didn't say anything for awhile, as though trying to absorb the silence that had taken over the Great Hall.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, as though he didn't like what he was just about to say.

"There will be something happening at Hogwarts this year which I do not think any of you have suspected beforehand."

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**Alright, no one be mad if some characters' personalities are different than what J.K. make them! I did it on purpose. You'll see.**

**Cayenne, Aislynn, Leah, Adrienne, and Naomi belong to me. And everyone else who was sorted. **

**Cayenne****: k-_eye_-YENN**

**Aislynn: AIZE-linn**

**The rest should be easy to pronounce. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review.**


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